Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
AGREED to note the report
AGREED to note the report, and to recommend that the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Thriving Communities consider including income from pavement trading to their Forward Work Programme
AGREED to note the report.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Councillors Caryl Roberts, Marc Davies, Ceris Jones and Matthew Vaux apologised for their inability to attend the meeting.
None
The Chair expressed his sincere condolences to Donna Pritchard on her recent loss.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the report
Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet Member for Through Age Wellbeing presented the report to the Committee. The key points were as follows: • There was a marked decrease in the number of reports/contacts that led to a need to proceed to Child Protection procedures this quarter (164) compared to 344 in quarter 4. • There were 11 Initial Child Protection Conferences undertaken in this quarter compared to 15 in Quarter 4. 17 children/young people were the subject of Initial conferences in Q1 compared to 25 in Q4. • 13 children/young people were placed on the register in this quarter compared to 24 in Quarter 4. • There were 28 Review Conferences held in this quarter, and 33 children were removed from the register. • In all there were 1186 reports/contacts received in this quarter, of which 13.8% went to a Strategy Discussion, 5.1% went to a S47 Enquiry and 0.9% went ton to an Initial Child Protection Conference and this compares with Q4 where there were 1020 reports/contacts, of those 33.7% went to a Strategy Discussion, 9.2% went to a S47 Enquiry and 1.5% went to an Initial Child Protection Conference. • Police and Education were the highest source of referrals. • There were 60 S47 Enquiries completed, 52 were done jointly with the Police and 8 were undertaken as single agency by Social Services. • Physical abuse was the highest category of abuse which led to child protection procedures needing to be undertaken, followed by sexual/exploitation and then neglect. • 58.8% of Initial Child Protection Conference were undertaken with 15 working days which was an improvement on the previous quarter but is still an issue of concern. 100% of core groups are undertaken within timescales and 91.8% of Review Conferences were undertaken within timescales. • Domestic abuse, parental substance misuse, parental separation and parental mental health issues are the main risk factors in relation to children who were on the child protection register as at the end of Q1. • At the end of Quarter 1, there were 32 children on the child protection register which is a decrease from the end of Q4 which was 53. ADULT SAFEGUARDING • There were 174 adults (216 reports) suspected of being at risk of abuse and/or neglect reported in this quarter and this is a decrease from Q4 which related to 202 adults (226 reports). • Emotional/psychological abuse is the highest form of abuse reported, followed by neglect, physical abuse, financial abuse and then sexual abuse. • The Local Authority workers were the highest number of source of referrals, followed by Provider agencies, then followed by Police. • There were 121enquiries concluded that actions needed to be taken to safeguard people, 78 within a person’s home, 19 in the community, 18 in a care home setting and 6 in a health care setting. • Where Safeguards were deemed necessary, 24 enquiries related to a Paid employer as the alleged persons responsible for the abuse, 62 enquiries related to a relative/friend, 11 related to other service users, 26 related to other people, 1 related to a volunteer. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions. The main points raised were as follows: · Members queried if the marked decrease to the child protection referrals trend happened every first quarter or if it was unique. It was confirmed that the numbers fluctuate from quarter to quarter and that it is difficult to predict. · Members asked whether referrals came from the clients themselves or family members. It was confirmed that referrals tend to come from families or from the care homes, and that referrals from care homes had decreased over the years. · Members asked for a clarification of the MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) report table on page 23, section 9. It was noted that daily discussions take place, and that MARAC meetings are held monthly. Cases with significant complexity, which require deeper analysis and a more comprehensive response, cannot be fully addressed in daily discussions. To improve this, daily MARAC discussions will now be held moving forward. · Members queried whether earlier intervention on matters relating to MARAC would reduce costs in the long term. It was confirmed that the aim of the Through Age Wellbeing approach was to focus on early intervention and prevention, with the current emphasis is on reducing three major risk factors: domestic abuse, substance misuse, and mental health issues. It was also noted that work to address these trends was ongoing. It was also noted that Councils across the country are seeing higher referral numbers. The chair thanked Alun Williams and Elizabeth Upcott for the report, he thanked them for doing such excellent work. It was AGREED to note the report
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the report, and to recommend that the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Thriving Communities consider including income from pavement trading to their Forward Work Programme
Councillor Gareth Davies, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement presented the report to the Committee. Duncan Hall, the Corporate Lead Officer for Finance and Procurement and Section 151 Officer provided an oversight of Income Generation across all services. This report had been requested by the Committee as part of the Budget Task & Finish Group. The key points were as follows: • There was a general trend of increased income generation across virtually all Services; • All Services were currently in the process of reviewing their Fees and Charges; • Some of the income generated offset costs e.g. where a family chose to place a relative in a care home outside of Ceredigion at a cost that exceeded Ceredigion’s pricing structure. The additional cost, shown as income, was met by the family. Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions. The main points raised were as follows: Members queried the pricing of car parking in Ceredigion. They noted that car parks are generally under‑utilised, except during events. It was noted that income from off-street parking had increased slightly, that off-street parking on the Promenade in Aberystwyth was due to be implemented during quarter four, and that income from utility companies and event due to road closures had increased significantly. It was noted that a further review may be considered after 12 months of data has been collected, and evidence of measurable changes in user behaviour. Members queried the income generated from pavement trading. It was noted that this related to the Economy and Regeneration Service and that the use of space by traders in Aberaeron and on the Promenade in Aberystwyth has declined in 2024/25 compared to previous years. Members queried whether the significant drop in income was due to fees not being collected or reduced usage, requesting further assessment of the factors contributing to this reduction. Members raised the issue of vacant council‑owned business properties, particularly in Aberystwyth. It was noted that bringing these units into use through rental arrangements would be mutually beneficial, generating income for the council while providing much needed residential spaces above the businesses. Members queried whether schools are charged individually for ICT software licensing. It was noted that there is a service level agreement with Schools which includes ICT service-desk support, software and Office 365, however clarification would be required.as to exactly what was included. Members requested that an annual review of income generated and that an additional column be included to the table, to show the income targets and net effect It was AGREED to note the report, and to recommend that the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Thriving Communities consider including income from pavement trading to their Forward Work Programme
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the report.
Duncan Hall, the Corporate Lead Officer for Finance and Procurement and Section 151 Officer provided an overview of the quarterly Controllable Revenue Financial Monitoring report and quarterly Capital Financial Monitoring report for Quarter 2 which was presented to Cabinet on the 2nd December 2025. It was noted that at the quarter 2 point of the year, a broadly breakeven position was forecast on the Controllable Budget, with a very small projected overspend of £21k (0.01% of the 25/26 Budget). Whilst the revenue position is robust, there are greater challenges within the capital programme which could impact on a combination of either the revenue budget and/or earmarked reserves. The total expenditure for the Capital Programme, for quarter 2, 2025-26 was £14.7m, from a Capital Programme Working budget of £41.5m (excluding Contingencies). Agency staff used within Social Care remained significant due to recruitment challenges. In residential care homes, weekly agency costs averaged £22k in quarter 1, reducing to £18k in quarter 2 and £16k to date in quarter 3. The ongoing requirement largely related to Hafan y Waun, with other Care Homes using agency staff only in exceptional circumstances. The Aberaeron sea defence project was completed in September 2025; however, a number of unforeseen technical issues arose which had not been anticipated in the original plan. The Council faced significant pressure due to strict funding deadlines, adding complexity to the project’s delivery. During the harbour drainage, it became apparent that the design of the Pwll Cam gate required modification, an issue which had identified earlier. It was noted that, in hindsight, a diving team inspection prior to drainage could have revealed the problem sooner, and the importance of more thorough pre‑drainage assessments in future projects was highlighted. At Glan yr Afon Industrial Estate, screw pumps were currently being utilised, and the Civil Engineering team was investigating the matter further. Temporary costs were being incurred to maintain pumping provision, which is impacting the out‑turn position in terms of revenue expenditure. The primary issue relates to capital requirements, and it was noted that this may have implications for future funding. It was AGREED to note the report.
Alun Williams, Corporate Lead Officer presented the report to the Committee noting that Ceredigion County Council has statutory regulatory responsibilities, including enforcement functions to protect the environment, the public and businesses. These are delivered to promote compliance with the law and the Council’s Wellbeing Objectives. The Council’s current Corporate Enforcement Policy was last reviewed in September 2018. Since its adoption, the Policy had been effective in ensuring a consistent enforcement approach that is appropriate to the circumstances and enabling any legal challenges in respect of enforcement action, to be mitigated. Effective enforcement contributes to Council priorities including public health, environmental protection, fair competition, safeguarding communities, housing standards, school attendance, access rights, safety in partnership with agencies, planning control and animal welfare. It was reported that the intention is to support businesses in their growth and success, rather than to catch them out. It was confirmed that the local authority would act on any legal aspects, while schools are responsible for being aware of the policy. Members raised a query regarding the current planning situation and sought clarification on the position., It was confirmed that three new planning Enforcement Officers have been appointed and were due to take up their posts in the new year. In addition, two advertisements for Specialist Planning Enforcement Officer positions remained open until 30 December. Members expressed their appreciation to Alun Williams for presenting such an informative and engaging report. The report was well received and Members noted that the content facilitated robust discussion aided by the fact that relevant Officer were present which helped inform the discussion. RECOMMENDATION (s): Committee Members agreed to recommend: • that they have considered the content of the draft Corporate Enforcement Policy and have no further feedback at present, and • a public consultation exercise in respect of the draft Policy.
Each Chair/vice Chair and scrutiny officers in turn gave an update on their respective Committee’s Forward Work Plans. It was agreed to recommend that the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Thriving Communities consider including income from pavement trading to their Forward Work Programme
It was AGREED to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 22nd October 2025 as a true record, subject to an amendment noting that Councillor Keith Evans had sent his apologies due to being on other Council duties. Matters arising: None.
None
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